Thread by @RAICESTEXAS

🚨BREAKING: ICE is about to transfer women from Karnes Detention Center to Louisiana & other detention centers across the country to make room for family detention.

FYI: Over the last few weeks women have been complaining about the inhumane medical care at this facility.

In recent days, our legal team has spoken with several women currently detained at Karnes who’ve told us about the medical neglect and suffering they've gone through.

Two of them have anonymously shared their experience which we are revealing for the first time.

The following statement comes from a woman detained at Karnes suffering from CANCER. She was admitted on July 23rd of this year and has not received the proper medical attention she needs since then.

"I have not been taken to a hospital since I arrived. I have not been taken to any medical office outside of Karnes since I was brought here. I have not been examined by a doctor since I was taken to the hospital on July 21st."

“I go to the medical office at Karnes every day in the morning and every evening. I am there about 30 min or more, depending on how many other detainees are also there. My blood pressure is taken and I have been given my medication for high blood pressure and for pain..." cont.

"I was told on Monday that I have no more blood pressure medication, so since then, I have only been given pain medication. I do not know what kind of pain medication I am given. The medical staff at Karnes do not ask me about my stomach pain or my cancer.”

The 2nd woman said the following: “I told them that I had an emergency surgery during my last pregnancy & have had severe pain since then but they never ordered any sort of scan...Since being here I've reported pain to a nurse around 3 times, each time I'm just given ibuprofen."

We’re demanding the immediate release of these women & an end to family detention at Karnes (& ALL facilities).

The lack of medical treatment for women detained there is part of a system of human rights abuses in ICE detention centers. Too many people have died in ICE custody.

"Our team has struggled to gain access to the women at Karnes. After news of the transfers today, phone calls with our clients have been cut inexplicably short. Conditions have worsened & we know they won’t improve if ICE is allowed to detain children at Karnes instead"...cont.

"...Karnes must shut down. Family detention must end.” - Andrea Meza, Director of Family Detention Program at RAICES.

raicestexas.org/2019/05/08/dem…

This isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with the cruel and inhumane treatment of migrants at this facility either. Last May, we sued @GEOGroup for re-separating families. 👇🏾

raicestexas.org/2019/05/28/rai…

We strive for a time when detention is NOT part of the equation for people who seek asylum protection in our community...but until that day comes it's crucial that our gov't provide appropriate medical care to those within our duty of care (aka people it chooses to detain).

That's why we need your help! 📢📢

Join us in demanding the IMMEDIATE release of women detained and an end to family detention at Karnes Detention Center.

Sign our petition to #ShutDownKarnes & stop these inhumane abuses 🖊️🖊️
raicestexas.org/shut-down-karn…